Michigan

Wildcat Garden has taken root with students in Albion

Seeds planted by an Albion College professor and student have blossomed into a community of young women who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty or try new foods.

Behind Albion High School sits the Wildcat Garden, the brainchild of Albion College professor Trisha Franzen and senior sociology major Rachel Keener. The quarter-acre lot is home to more than 20 fruits and vegetables, as well as herbs and flowers.

Ashley Miller | Jackson Citizen PatriotAlbion College senior Rachel Keener of Grand Rapids, center, and Daryus Mastin, 13, give Odelal Mastin of Albion a tour of the Wildcat Garden behind Albion High School. Keener has been mentoring Albion middle school students and helping with the garden for two years.

A hand-painted old headboard welcomes visitors into the landscape where fresh watermelons are almost ripe, several rows of corn are sprouting up and imaginations can run rampant under the hot summer sun.

What Franzen started with the help of Sandra Langston in 2006 — when she formed the Albion Girls Club to introduce her students to young Albion Public Schools girls — has grown into something that continues to get bigger and better with each passing year.

In 2010, Keener started a nutrition-based summer program through funds provided by the college’s Foundation for Undergraduate Research Scholarship. This summer, FURSCA has paid for her to stay in Albion and transform the garden.

“It’s been really amazing, and it helps that Trisha is a really good gardener and we started with a small garden last fall,” she said. “It’s a lot of work, but I’ve loved getting to know people in Albion better and spending the summer here.”

Keener said she has always enjoyed gardening, but she never envisioned she would spend 40-plus hours a week pulling weeds and cultivating community relationships.

“We like to joke because on Thursdays after we are done out here we have to go to faculty meetings for the research program, and we always come covered in dirt and everyone else has nice clothes on,” she said.

The Albion Community Foundation is an active donor to the cause, helping fund raised beds that run upward of $100 each, as well as seeds and compost soil.

The plot also has created a setting where it’s chic to talk about nutrition and local food sources.

Keener said about two-thirds of students in Albion receive free or reduced-cost lunches, meaning many have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables.

Sinking her teeth into a tiny, bright red strawberry full of seeds last week, Albion High School senior Sharla Rider said eating homegrown fruits and vegetables has greater appeal over commercialized products.

“The store-bought were hard and not as sweet, just not as juicy when we compared them,” she said of the homegrown strawberries.

Several Albion Public Schools administrators have made frequent visits to the garden, and Keener encourages people to join in the project with “open sessions” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday.

Franzen said it will be tough to replace Keener’s dedication to the cause once she graduates, but her goal is to sell fresh produce at the Albion farmers market and even high school football games in the future.

“I think overall people are really thrilled that we’re doing this,” she said.